Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 78

Devanagari script

मधूक तव पुष्पेण दयितायाः समौ शुभौ । कपोलौ पांडुरच्छायौ दृष्ट्वा त्वां स्मृतिमागतौ

Transliteration

madhūka tava puṣpeṇa dayitāyāḥ samau śubhau | kapolau pāṃḍuracchāyau dṛṣṭvā tvāṃ smṛtimāgatau

Translation

హే మధూక వృక్షమా! నీ పుష్పాన్ని చూచి నా ప్రియురాలి రెండు శుభ కపోలాలు—పాండుర ఛాయతో మనోహరమైనవి—స్మృతికి వచ్చాయి; నిన్ను దర్శించగానే ఆ జ్ఞాపకం మళ్లీ మేల్కొంది।

Word by Word

• मधूक: O madhūka (tree)
• मधूक: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मधूक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8/सम्बोधन), एकवचन — Vocative singular

• तव: of you/your
• तव: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6/षष्ठी), एकवचन — Genitive singular (2nd person pronoun)

• पुष्पेण: with (your) flower
• पुष्पेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुष्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3/तृतीया), एकवचन — Instrumental singular

• दयितायाः: of (my) beloved
• दयितायाः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दयिता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6/षष्ठी), एकवचन — Genitive singular

• समौ: equal/alike
• समौ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1/प्रथमा), द्विवचन — Nominative dual; विशेषण (qualifying कपोलौ)

• शुभौ: beautiful/auspicious
• शुभौ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1/प्रथमा), द्विवचन — Nominative dual; विशेषण (qualifying कपोलौ)

• कपोलौ: (her) two cheeks
• कपोलौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कपोल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1/प्रथमा), द्विवचन — Nominative dual

• पाण्डुरच्छायौ: pale-hued
• पाण्डुरच्छायौ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाण्डुर-छाया (प्रातिपदिक-द्वय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1/प्रथमा), द्विवचन — Nominative dual; कर्मधारय-समास (पाण्डुरा छाया यस्य) विशेषण (कपोलौ)

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriya (Non-finite verbal action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive) — having seen

• त्वाम्: you
• त्वाम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया (2/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Accusative singular (2nd person pronoun)

• स्मृतिम्: remembrance
• स्मृतिम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्मृति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Accusative singular

• आगतौ: have come (to mind)
• आगतौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past passive participle used finitely), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन — ‘have come/arrived’ agreeing with कपोलौ

Speaker

A lovelorn husband/lover (narrative voice within Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A traveler in a sacred forest pauses before a blooming madhūka tree; the pale blossoms visually echo the remembered cheeks of his beloved, and his face shows sudden recollection and longing.

Characters & Entities

• madhūka (Mahua tree)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sense-perception can revive powerful smṛti (memory); Purāṇic ethics often warn that the mind follows impressions unless disciplined toward auspicious aims.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is explicitly named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.